Princess Ubolratana gets behind TAT’s Visit Thailand Year 2023: Amazing New Chapters’ campaign
Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana lent her support to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) at the ITB Berlin 2023 event. The occasion marks the official launch of the ‘Visit Thailand Year 2023: Amazing New Chapters’ campaign, which aims to promote sustainable and responsible tourism in Thailand, focusing on meaningful travel experiences.
Princess Ubolratana graced the Thailand Stand on Tuesday, demonstrating her Thai potpourri and herbal compress skills to a captivated audience. These activities align with the tourism direction that emphasises the promotion of health and wellness segments for European travellers.
Led by the TAT, the Thai delegation to the event combined 70 tourism sellers from Thailand, predominantly hotels and resorts, with one health provider, Bumrungrad Hospital. The southern region accounted for the largest number of sellers (47%), reflecting the preference of the European market for beach holidays. Meanwhile, 35% of sellers hailed from Bangkok, 11% from the central region, and 7% from the east, which is an emerging island destination for the German market.
Overall, the ITB Berlin 2023 event provided an excellent opportunity for Thailand to showcase its commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism, as well as to promote its diverse range of destinations and experiences to the European market.
Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, said…
“TAT is currently developing sustainable tourism goals in line with the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, which will help drive the entire Thai tourism industry to put sustainability into practice. There will be a sustainable tourism acceleration rating system that certifies tourist businesses in the area of tourism sustainability. Businesses that are able to comply with a number of goals will attain a corresponding amount of stars.”
The Thailand Stand took centre stage at the ITB Berlin 2023 trade show. This year’s event marked the 56th edition of the show and the first in-person staging since the pandemic. Thailand is leveraging its 5Fs soft-power foundations of Food, Film, Fashion, Festivals, and Fighting to promote its tourism industry.
The stand has been decorated with reused materials from the previous trade event, and participating sellers must meet certain criteria showing they have sustainable, responsible, or environmental activities in place. These activities include recycling, water conservation/efficiency, support of local communities, and other eco-sustainable practices.
The TAT information counter at the stand emphasizes sustainable and responsible tourism, highlighting major and emerging destinations in combination with natural and cultural attractions. The stand also features demonstration workshops, including blending essential oils for massage, massage to relieve office syndrome, and relaxation massage.
Buyers from emerging markets in Europe, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Hungary, met with Thai sellers at the Thailand Mini Mart to update themselves on Thai tourism products and services. This was followed by the Thailand Mini Mart Happy Hour, a more informal and social opportunity for networking.
The TAT this year is expecting to welcome around six million arrivals from the overall European market in 2023, generating 407 billion baht.
With its sustainable and responsible approach, Thailand is well-positioned to continue to attract visitors while preserving its natural beauty and cultural heritage for generations to come.
